Nats, Astros familiar, thanks to spring park

Teams share field in West Palm Beach

Asked how his Washington Nationals figured out Gerrit Cole in the World Series opener, Juan Soto didn't have to look far for an answer.

"I'm glad I face him in spring training," Soto said.

In fact, all of the Houston Astros and Nationals see a lot of each other starting every February — they share the complex at the Ballpark of the Palm Beaches.

More than 200 days after breaking camp, they've ended the year on the same field with much more at stake.

"Pretty crazy, I never even thought about it," said Ryan Zimmerman, who also homered off Cole in a 5-4 win Tuesday night. "Must be something in West Palm. West Palm is good for us."

Meanwhile, forgive local fans coming to a World Series watch party this week at the park for feeling a bit conflicted. Major League Baseball has given permission to let them onto the field for free Friday night to see Game 3 on the video board.

There's even been some talk around the diamonds of splitting Houston and Washington jerseys down the middle, then sewing the opposing halves together to create a hybrid NatRos shirt for employees to wear while watching the game.

"We work 50/50 for each team so we root for both equally," grounds crew chief Matt Eggerman said. "In my book, we've already reached our goal."

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1of2FILE - In this Feb. 28. 2017, file photo, theWashington Nationals and the Houston Astros play a spring training baseball game at Ballpark of the Palm Beaches in West Palm Beach, Fla. The game was the first to be played in the new stadium, which serves as both clubs' spring training home. The Houston-Washington World Series, which began Tuesday, is the first in the modern era to feature teams that share a common spring training site. In 1942, the Cardinals and Yankees met in the Series after playing their spring games in the same St. Petersburg, Fla., ballpark but training at different sites. (AP Photo/John Bazemore, File)John Bazemore2of2FILE - In this March 12, 2019, file photo, Houston Astros' Carlos Correa heads for home as Washington Nationals catcher Yan Gomes waits for the ball during the third inning of a spring training baseball game in West Palm Beach, Fla. Correa was out. The Astros and Nationals began the year by sharing their Ballpark of the Palm Beaches spring training home. More than 200 days after breaking camp, they'll end the year on the same field with much more at stake. Seven spring training sites currently host two teams, including Camelback Ranch, home of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago White Sox. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File)Brynn Anderson

The Astros and Nationals began the year with workouts as neighbors, and they met in the exhibition opener. Jake Marisnick was the first batter of the game and homered off Nationals ace Max Scherzer, the winning pitcher Tuesday night.

The clubs played six times last spring, with Washington going 5-1.

"We see them in spring training so much," Astros star Alex Bregman said.

This World Series matchup is the first in the modern era to feature teams that share a common spring training site.

In 1942, the St. Louis Cardinals and New York Yankees met after playing their spring games in the same park in St. Petersburg, Fla., but they worked out at different sites.

"I've never been part of a World Series, and now we're going double barrel here one month in with both these clubs," Slatus said. "The 2019 world champion will open spring training right here in 2020."

It'll be the second time in three years the complex can make that claim. A graphic painted on the wall outside Houston's administrative offices, easily visible beyond the stadium's left field foul pole, reminds visitors the Astros won the 2017 World Series — the same year both teams opened the facility.